Support of circus' animal treatment unacceptable

On March 25 and 26, the Cole Bros. Circus will arrive in Bluffton at Buckwalter Place. Cole Bros. habitually violates federal animal protection laws, has a history of animal escapes and inattentive animal handling, and poses a risk to public safety. Cruel treatment and constant confinement are the unfortunate reality of the lives of these circus animals. It is unacceptable for the American people to support entertainment of this nature.

Cole Bros. Circus, previously known as Clyde Beatty-Cole Bros. Circus, has failed to meet federal standards for the care of animals as established by the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has repeatedly cited Cole Bros. for failure to provide veterinary care to its animals, as well as failure to provide animals with adequate space.

As of February 2008, Cole Bros. no longer possessed an animal exhibitor license from the USDA. The circus leases animals from outside companies such as Carson & Barnes. In 2011, Cole Bros. and its president pleaded guilty to violating the Endangered Species Act by illegally selling two Asian elephants and were sentenced to probation and ordered to pay more than $150,000 in fines. In 2012, Cole Bros. was assessed a $15,000 civil penalty by the USDA for violations of the AWA.

If that isn’t enough to change your mind about visiting Cole Bros. Circus, incidents citing public danger should be. In seven separate incidents, elephants with Cole Bros. have become violent during performances, killing and injuring people as well as causing thousands of dollars in property damage.

As human beings, we have a moral obligation to care for and protect animals from neglect and abuse. I have had the privilege of viewing many of these magnificent “circus animals” in their natural home while I was in East Africa. These animals are astounding and do not deserve to be caged, beaten and forced to perform acts for family entertainment. I passionately urge each and every Lowcountry circus-goer to rethink spending your hard-earned money on the exploitation and suffering of wild animals.